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Man charged in Florida Keys backpack bomb plot due in court

MIAMI (AP) — A Florida man accused of conspiring to detonate a bomb at a Florida Keys beach is due in court following several delays in the case.

A federal judge set a status hearing Wednesday in the case of 24-year-old Harlem Suarez, who’s currently set for a July trial.

The FBI says Suarez drew inspiration from the Islamic State terrorist organization, although no direct links have been revealed.

The FBI says Suarez told an informant he wanted to detonate a backpack bomb on a Key West beach. He was arrested last year after accepting an inert device from an FBI employee posing as an Islamic State member.

Suarez has pleaded not guilty to charges of attempting to use a weapon of mass destruction and supporting terrorism. He is jailed without bail.